Simple Sugar Cookies

I have joined the 'Basic Decorating for Cakes' course @ Hobby Lobby. Today was my first lesson. For the first day of class I needed about 6 flat cookies with a smooth surface, basically sugar / butter cookies. Instead of buying them, I thought of baking them at home. I did those mostly the same way I had done the Nan-Khatais, with slight variations. And I tried to keep the sugar cookies as simple as I could.

I did not taste any as I left them for cooling on the wire rack and ten minutes after that I packed them and rushed for my 6.30 pm class. 

This is a no-fuss and such an easy to make recipe. Hardly took me 1 hour to make them, end-to-end.

All that I used :

(Yields about 15-20 cookies)

• All purpose flour - 2 cups

• Sugar - 1/2 cup

• Unsalted butter - 1/2 cup (about 6 Tsbp)

• Egg - 1/2

• Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp

• Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

How I made it :

• Take the unsalted butter out of the refrigerator and let it soften - it will take about 30 minutes.

• In a large bowl, take out the sugar and the softened butter.

• Beat in the egg. Pour half of it into the bowl containing the sugar and butter.

• Mix all of it nicely with a steel spoon (or spatula).

• Add the vanilla extract and blend well.

• Now add the flour and the baking soda.

• Mix it for about a minute with the spoon so that they all blend well together.

• Now use your hands to make a proper dough out of it.

• Once the dough is done, cover it with surround wrap and refrigerate it.

• Take out the dough after 30 minutes and knead it one final time.

• Pre-heat the over to 375 F.

• Grease the baking sheet lightly with butter.

• Make small balls out of the dough and then flatten them and put on the baking sheet.

• Sprinkle each piece with a pinch of sugar.

 

• Bake for about 12 minutes, this is when they will turn golden brown.

• Shift to a wire rack for cooling.

Savour the cookies once they are cool.

Notes :

• These cookies will expand quite a bit. So give proper spacing while placing them on the baking sheet.

• These cookies may be stored in an air tight container.

• Abhishek's verdict on the cookies - crispy, crunchy and nice!!

• An idea - I tried doing it, but declined it half way as it was taking time (had to be done slowly and carefully as the dough is too soft) and I was on a strict time schedule. May be you can still try it. What I tried doing - 
• Divided the dough into 2 halves.
• Rolled each half into a long roll of about 1 inch diameter.
• Tried cutting 1/4 inch slices out of the roll.

 

• This is how my cookies looked after I put butter-cream icing on them (in my class).